"I don't expect them to welcome this, I perfectly understand why people who don't feel wealthy - who may not feel wealthy at all given all the costs they face today - don't like this change but I will ask them just to reflect for a minute there are many, many others, the vast majority of people in this country who are on much lower incomes than them, who are also having to make sacrifices."

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "It's very difficult to justify continuing to pay child benefit to the wealthiest 15% of families."